Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.

(Redirected from Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 AD) 1966 British science fiction film by Gordon Flemyng

Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.
UK quad poster
Directed by	Gordon Flemyng
Written by	Milton Subotsky David Whitaker
Based on	The Dalek Invasion of Earth by Terry Nation
Produced by	Milton Subotsky Max J. Rosenberg
Starring	Peter Cushing Bernard Cribbins Ray Brooks Jill Curzon Roberta Tovey Andrew Keir
Cinematography	John Wilcox
Edited by	Ann Chegwidden
Music by	Bill McGuffie
Production companies	AARU Productions British Lion Films Amicus Productions
Distributed by	British Lion-Columbia Distributors
Release date	5 August 1966 (1966-08-05)
Running time	84 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	£286,000

Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. is a 1966 British science fiction film directed by Gordon Flemyng and written by Milton Subotsky, and the second of two films based on the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who. It stars Peter Cushing in a return to the role of the eccentric inventor and time traveller Dr. Who, Roberta Tovey as Susan, Jill Curzon as Louise and Bernard Cribbins as Tom Campbell. It is the sequel to Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965).

The story is based on the Doctor Who television serial The Dalek Invasion of Earth (1964), produced by the BBC. The film was not intended to form part of the ongoing storylines of the television series. Elements from the programme are used, however, such as various characters, the Daleks and a police box time machine, albeit in re-imagined forms.

Plot

Special Constable Tom Campbell encounters a jewellery shop burglary. Running to what appears to be a police box to summon backup, he enters Tardis, a time and space machine operated by its inventor Dr. Who, his niece Louise and granddaughter Susan, as it departs for the future. Arriving in London, 2150 A.D., they find that Daleks have invaded the Earth. Some survivors have become resistance fighters, while captives are either turned into brainwashed 'Robomen' servants, or forced to labour at a mine in Bedfordshire.

Dr. Who and Tom are captured and imprisoned on a Dalek spaceship. Meanwhile a rebel, Wyler, takes Louise and Susan to a London Underground station resistance base, where they meet fighters including David, and Dortmun who plans to bomb the Dalek spaceship using rebels disguised as Robomen.

On the spaceship, Dr. Who and Tom avoid being robotised when the rebels, including David, Wyler and Louise, attack. Dr. Who escapes with David, while Tom and Louise become trapped on the spaceship. After the attack fails, Wyler returns to the base and informs Dortmun and Susan that Dr. Who escaped. They decide to hide in London's outskirts until the rebels can regroup. Susan writes a message about their intentions for Dr. Who, then they commandeer a van. Dortmun is killed by a Dalek patrol, and Wyler and Susan have to abandon the vehicle just before it is destroyed.

Dr. Who and David manage to return to the now deserted underground station. Failing to see Susan's message, they assume that Wyler, Dortmun and Susan have gone to Bedfordshire to investigate the mining operation and decide to follow them.

Hiding on the Dalek spaceship, now bound for the mine, Tom and Louise reunite. When the craft lands they escape from it. Finding themselves in the mining complex, they are saved from a Roboman by one of the slave-workers, who hides them in a tool shed.

Wyler and Susan shelter in a cottage, occupied by a mother and daughter. Susan convinces Wyler that Dr. Who would head for the Bedfordshire mine, and that they must follow. The daughter then leaves on an errand, but returns with Daleks who capture Wyler and Susan and take them to their mine control centre.

Near the mine Dr. Who and David are confronted by black marketeer Brockley, who agrees to smuggle them into the complex. By chance, he leads them to the tool shed where Tom and Louise are hiding. They are joined by a prisoner, Conway. He reveals that the Daleks intend to drop a bomb into their mineshaft, to destroy the Earth's core and replace it with a device enabling the planet to be piloted like a giant spacecraft. Stolen plans show an old shaft leading to a convergence between the planet's magnetic poles. Realising that an explosion at this point would release enough energy to destroy the metallic Daleks, Tom and Conway agree to try deflecting the bomb while Louise and David go to help evacuate the prisoners from the mine. Brockley leaves, refusing to get involved, but returns with a group of Daleks. As Dr. Who is led away the Daleks fire on Brockley, killing him.

Tom and Conway enter the mineshaft but are discovered by a Roboman. During the ensuing fight Conway and the Roboman fall to their deaths. Tom uses old timbers to create a deflecting ramp, then leaves. Dr. Who is taken to the mine control room and meets Wyler and Susan. He seizes the radio link to the Robomen and orders them to turn against their masters. The Robomen and Daleks fight, while everybody else flees from the mine. The Daleks quickly defeat the rebellion and release their bomb into the shaft, but the device is deflected and detonates at the pole convergence. The Daleks are pulled into the Earth's core and destroyed, while their spaceship crashes onto the mine and explodes.

As the travellers prepare to return to the present in Tardis, Tom asks to be taken back to a few minutes before the burglary occurred. Upon arrival, he knocks out the thieves and drives them away in their getaway car, heading for the police station and anticipating a promotion.

Cast

Peter Cushing as Dr. Who
Bernard Cribbins as Tom Campbell
Ray Brooks as David
Andrew Keir as Wyler
Roberta Tovey as Susan
Jill Curzon as Louise
Roger Avon as Wells
Geoffrey Cheshire as Roboman
Keith Marsh as Conway
Philip Madoc as Brockley
Steve Peters as Lead Roboman
Eddie Powell as Thompson
Godfrey Quigley as Dortmun
Peter Reynolds as Man on Bicycle
Bernard Spear as Man with Carrier bag
Sheila Steafel as Young Woman
Eileen Way as Old Woman
Kenneth Watson as Craddock
John Wreford as Robber
Robert Jewell – Lead Dalek Operator
David Graham and Peter Hawkins – Dalek Voices (uncredited)

A number of the film's cast have also had roles in the Doctor Who television series. Bernard Cribbins appeared as recurring character Wilfred Mott between 2007 and 2010 and in 2023, during which it is revealed that he is the grandfather of companion Donna Noble. Philip Madoc appeared four times in the series and in a number of Big Finish Productions Doctor Who audio adventures in different roles. Eileen Way appeared as Old Mother in the Doctor Who TV serial An Unearthly Child and as Karela in The Creature from the Pit. Roger Avon appeared as Saphadin in The Crusade and as Daxtar in The Daleks' Master Plan. Robert Jewell was a Dalek and creature operator, and David Graham and Peter Hawkins provided Dalek and other voices, in the series.

Production

Amicus bought an option to make three Dalek-related stories from Terry Nation and the BBC for £500. Production of the third film, to be based on the serial The Chase, was scrapped because of this film's under-performance at the box-office. Principal photography commenced at Shepperton Studios, England, on 31 January 1966, and was completed on 22 March, eleven days behind schedule. The film's budget of £286,000 was nearly sixty per cent larger than its predecessor.

Production was complicated by the illness of Cushing, which required some rewriting of the script to reduce his on-screen appearances. There were also a number of accidents on set. A Dalek prop caught fire during the filming of rebels storming the Dalek spaceship. Stuntman Eddie Powell broke his ankle during a scene in which his character is killed by the Daleks while trying to escape from them. Actor Andrew Keir hurt his wrist when punching through a van windscreen during a sequence in which his character, Wyler, and Susan escape from London.

The design and colour scheme for the majority of the Dalek props was very similar to that used for the television versions at the time, having large, black bases and predominantly silver paintwork, with grey shoulders, natural aluminium collars and slats and blue hemispheres. Three Dalek leaders are also shown, painted respectively in gold, black and red. As with the first Dalek film, the props were fitted with larger dome light than their TV counterparts, and some were equipped with a mechanical claw in place of the standard plunger. The film marks the first instance of the Daleks using rels as a time measurement, this would be used in comics and later in the revived series.

In January 1984, an article about the two Dalek films appeared in Doctor Who Monthly containing production information, photographs and interviews. Another article about the films appeared in the 1995 Spring Special edition of Doctor Who Magazine.

In 1995, a documentary about the two Dalek films, Dalekmania, was released on video. It revealed details about the productions, spin-offs, and publicity campaigns. It was later included as an extra in many of the home media video releases of the two Dalek films.

Release

The film premiered in London on 22 July 1966.

Marketing

Of the film's £286,000 budget, over £50,000 was spent on promotion.

The breakfast cereal Sugar Puffs sponsored the film and, in an example of product placement, Sugar Puffs signs and products can be seen at various points in the film. In exchange for its funding, the company was also allowed to run a competition on its cereal packets to win a Dalek film prop, and feature the Daleks in its television advertisements.

From 1965 to 1967, the TV Century 21 comic featured a one-page Dalek comic strip. From January 1966 onward artists Eric Eden and Ron Turner depicted the Daleks using elements from the film design, including mechanical claws and large bases and dome lights. During the run of the strip, the comic also often featured photographs from, and articles about, the films.

Critical response

The film was given a negative review in The Times newspaper on 21 July 1966: "The second cinematic excursion of the Daleks shows little advance on the first... The filming of all this is technically elementary... and the cast, headed by the long-suffering, much ill-used Peter Cushing, seem able, unsurprisingly, to drum up no conviction whatever in anything they are called to do. Grown-ups may enjoy it, but most children have more sense."

Alan Jones of the Radio Times gave the film three stars out of five in a retrospective review, stating "Independence Day it's not, but director Gordon Flemyng keeps the colourful action moving swiftly along to cheap and cheerful effect. Youngsters will love it, while adults will want to E-X-T-E-R-M-I-N-A-T-E Bernard Cribbins, who provides comic relief as the bumbling bobby. Yet, through all the mindless mayhem roll the ever-impressive Daleks, truly one of science fiction's greatest alien creations."

In a review of the 2013 Blu-ray release, Starburst reviewer Paul Mount said the feature was "a leaner, slicker film than its predecessor, its bigger scale and lavish location filming giving the story room to breathe and allowing for some effective action sequences, such as the rebel attack on the impressive Dalek flying saucer."

Radio adaptation

The film's soundtrack was adapted and presented by Gordon Gow for radio broadcast on the BBC Light Programme on 18 November 1966 as Show 305 of the Movietime series. It was produced by Tony Luke.

Home media

Super 8 film

Released in the UK by Walton Sound and Film Services in 1977.

VHS

Released in the UK by Thorn EMI in 1982 and by Warner Home Video in 1988 and 1996.
Released in the US by Thorn EMI in 1985 and by Lumiere in 1994.
Released in Australia by Warner Home Video in 1990.
Released in Japan by King Video/Tohokushinsha Film Co. in 1992.

Betamax

Released in the UK by Thorn EMI in 1982.

DVD

Both films, plus the Dalekmania documentary, released in the US by Anchor Bay Entertainment as a boxset in 2001 and by Lionsgate as a two-disc set in 2012.
Both films, plus the Dalekmania documentary, released in Australia by StudioCanal as a two-disc boxset in 2001.
The film, plus the Dalekmania documentary, released in France (as Les Daleks Envahissent La Terre, with original French soundtrack) by Canal+video in 2001.
Both films, plus the Dalekmania documentary, released in the UK by StudioCanal as a two-disc boxset in 2002 and 2006.
Released in Spain (as Los Daleks Invaden la Tierra 2150 AD, with original Spanish soundtrack) by Universal Pictures Iberia S.L.. in 2009
Released in Australia by Umbrella Entertainment in 2012 together with the Dalekmania documentary.

Blu-ray

The film, plus the Dalekmania documentary, released in the UK by StudioCanal in 2013.
Both films, released in the UK by StudioCanal/Optimum Releasing as a two-disc box set in 2013.
Released in the UK by StudioCanal as a Zavvi exclusive 'SteelBook' limited edition in 2015.
Released in Australia by Umbrella Entertainment in 2014 together with the Dalekmania documentary.
The film, plus the Dalekmania documentary, released in the US by Kino Lorber in 2020.
A restored and remastered version released on 4K UHD disc by StudioCanal, in both Limited Edition and standard Steelbook formats in 2022.

Soundtrack

Music from both films was released by Silva Screen Records on a CD entitled Dr. Who & the Daleks in 2009 and on a limited edition double vinyl LP in 2016.
Selected tracks from both films were released by Silva Screen Records as a limited edition 7-inch EP in 2011.
Music from the film was released on an LP by StudioCanal in 2022 as part of a package also including 4K UHD and Blu-ray discs of the film.

References

"Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D." IMDb. 18 August 2008. Retrieved 18 August 2008.
"DALEKS' INVASION EARTH 2150 A.D. (U)". Joe Vegoda. British Board of Film Classification. 10 June 1966. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
^ Bryce, Allan, ed. (30 June 2000). Amicus: The Studio That Dripped Blood. Plymouth: Stray Cat Publishing. pp. 37–38. ISBN 978-0-9533261-3-6.
"Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D." British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
"Into the Future!". Doctor Who Magazine. No. 386. 19 September 2007. p. 4.
Muir, John Kenneth (15 September 2015). A Critical History of Doctor Who on Television. McFarland. p. 106. ISBN 978-1-4766-0454-1.
"BBC – Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide – The Daleks' Master Plan – Details". BBC. Archived from the original on 17 September 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
^ O'Brien, Steve (26 May 2013). "The Dalek movies". gamesradar+. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
^ Pixley, Andrew (March 2005). "DWM Archive Extra: Daleks – Invasion Earth 2150 AD". Doctor Who Magazine (354). Panini Comics: 50–57.
Mount, Paul (24 April 2013). "Blu-ray Review: DALEKS – INVASION EARTH – 2150 AD (1966)". starburstmagazine.com. STARBURST Magazine. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
^ Kevin Davies (director), John Farbrother (producer), Nick Elborough (editor) (24 July 1995). Dalekmania (Video). Lumiere Films. ASIN B00008T63Q. LUM2221.
Holliss, Richard (January 1984). "The Dalek Movies". Doctor Who Monthly (84). Marvel UK: 30–34.
"Studio One (Tomorrow): Daleks – Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.". The Times. 21 July 1966. p. 17.
"Daleks – Invasion Earth 2150 AD". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
"Starburst Blu-ray Review: DALEKS – INVASION EARTH – 2150 AD (1966)". Starburst Publishing Limited.
Pixley, Andrew (10 November 2004). "Doctor Who on Radio – Part One: 1966-1993". Doctor Who Magazine (349). Panini Comics: 26–27.
"DALEKS – INVASION EARTH 2150AD". Umbrella Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2 April 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
"DALEKS – INVASION EARTH 2150 AD (BLU RAY)". Umbrella Entertainment. Archived from the original on 16 April 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.

External links

Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. at IMDb
Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. at the TCM Movie Database
Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. at TARDIS WIKI, an external wiki
Daleks – Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. at Rotten Tomatoes

Doctor Who

Programme

Episodes	1963–1989 episodes 1996 film 2005–present episodes Christmas and New Year's specials Supplementary episodes Missing episodes Radio stories Unmade serials
Production	Producers Script editors Writers Music theme music composers soundtrack releases
Releases	Home video Other home video
Miscellaneous	History Australia United States and Canada Whoniverse Fandom Popular culture Merchandise Awards and nominations

Plot devices

Characters	The Doctor actors considered Companions spin-offs Supporting characters The Master Cast
Creatures	Cyberman Dalek Davros Great Intelligence Ice Warrior Sontaran Silurian Slitheen Time Lord Weeping Angel
Concepts	Sonic screwdriver TARDIS Time War Torchwood Institute UNIT

Related media

Spin-offs	K-9 and Company Torchwood The Sarah Jane Adventures K9 Class Tales of the TARDIS The War Between the Land and the Sea
Specials	Dimensions in Time The Curse of Fatal Death Scream of the Shalka An Adventure in Space and Time The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot
Films	Dr. Who and the Daleks Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.
Documentaries	Whose Doctor Who Thirty Years in the TARDIS Dalekmania Confidential Totally Doctor Who Torchwood Declassified The Commentaries The Science of Doctor Who Extra The Fan Show Access All Areas Unleashed
Stage	2008 Prom Live
Books	New Adventures Missing Adventures Virgin Decalog Eighth Doctor Adventures Novellas Past Doctor Adventures New Series Adventures BBC Short Trips Big Finish Short Trips Novelisations
Audio	Big Finish audio plays Big Finish spin-off audio plays Audiobooks Audio releases
Video	Wartime P.R.O.B.E. Shakedown: Return of the Sontarans Mindgame Downtime Cyberon Auton Dæmos Rising Zygon: When Being You Just Isn't Enough
Video games	The First Adventure The Warlord The Mines of Terror Dalek Attack Destiny of the Doctors Top Trumps The Adventure Games Evacuation Earth Return to Earth The Mazes of Time Worlds in Time The Eternity Clock Legacy Lego Dimensions Worlds Apart
Miscellaneous	Comics Faction Paradox The Minister of Chance Death's Head Dalek illustrations Pinball Spoofs Star Trek crossover Exhibitions Time Lord Victorious The Game of Time & Space

Publications

Magazines etc.	Magazine Adventures Battles in Time The Black Archive
Publishers	Big Finish Productions Reeltime Pictures BBV Productions Mad Norwegian Press Magic Bullet Productions Obverse Books

Doctor Who: Dalek stories

Television

First Doctor	The Daleks The Dalek Invasion of Earth The Chase "Mission to the Unknown" The Daleks' Master Plan
Second Doctor	The Power of the Daleks The Evil of the Daleks
Third Doctor	Day of the Daleks Planet of the Daleks Death to the Daleks
Fourth Doctor	Genesis of the Daleks Destiny of the Daleks
Fifth Doctor	Resurrection of the Daleks
Sixth Doctor	Revelation of the Daleks
Seventh Doctor	Remembrance of the Daleks
Ninth Doctor	"Dalek" "Bad Wolf" / "The Parting of the Ways"
Tenth Doctor	"Army of Ghosts" / "Doomsday "Daleks in Manhattan" / "Evolution of the Daleks" "The Stolen Earth" / "Journey's End"
Eleventh Doctor	"Victory of the Daleks" "Asylum of the Daleks" "The Time of the Doctor"
Twelfth Doctor	"Into the Dalek" "The Magician's Apprentice" / "The Witch's Familiar"
Thirteenth Doctor	"Resolution" "Revolution of the Daleks" "Eve of the Daleks" "The Power of the Doctor"
Minor appearances	The Space Museum The Wheel in Space The War Games The Mind of Evil Frontier in Space Logopolis "The Five Doctors" Doctor Who "The Waters of Mars" "The Beast Below" "The Pandorica Opens" / "The Big Bang" "The Wedding of River Song" "The Day of the Doctor" "Hell Bent" "The Pilot" "Twice Upon a Time" "Once, Upon Time" / "The Vanquishers"
See also	The Curse of Fatal Death Tardisode 13 – "Doomsday" "The Last Day" Daleks! "Destination: Skaro"

Films

Dr. Who films	Dr. Who and the Daleks Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.
See also	The Lego Batman Movie

Audio

The Monthly Adventures	The Genocide Machine The Apocalypse Element The Mutant Phase The Time of the Daleks Jubilee The Juggernauts Return of the Daleks Renaissance of the Daleks Brotherhood of the Daleks Enemy of the Daleks Plague of the Daleks Daleks Among Us
Dalek Empire	Dalek War
I, Davros	Innocence The Davros Mission
Other	Death and the Daleks Unbound The Lost Stories The Four Doctors The Five Companions Energy of the Daleks The Eighth Doctor Adventures The War Doctor Living History The Tenth Doctor Adventures After the Daleks Nightmare of the Daleks The Final Beginning
Minor appearances	Seasons of Fear Eyes of the Master

Books

Novelisations	Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks The Dalek Invasion of Earth The Chase The Daleks' Master Plan Part I: Mission to the Unknown The Daleks' Master Plan Part II: The Mutation of Time The Power of the Daleks The Evil of the Daleks Day of the Daleks Doctor Who and the Space War Planet of the Daleks Death to the Daleks Doctor Who and the Genesis of the Daleks Doctor Who and the Destiny of the Daleks Resurrection of the Daleks Revelation of the Daleks Remembrance of the Daleks
Eighth Doctor Adventures	War of the Daleks Legacy of the Daleks
New Series Adventures	I Am a Dalek Prisoner of the Daleks The Dalek Generation Engines of War
Other	The Dalek Factor

Video games

Stage

v t e Films by Amicus Productions
It's Trad, Dad! (1962) Just for Fun (1963) Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965) Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965) The Skull (1965) The Psychopath (1966) Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1966) The Deadly Bees (1967) The Terrornauts (1967) They Came from Beyond Space (1967) Torture Garden (1967) Danger Route (1967) A Touch of Love (1969) Scream and Scream Again (1970) The Mind of Mr. Soames (1970) The House That Dripped Blood (1971) I, Monster (1971) Tales from the Crypt (1972) What Became of Jack and Jill? (1972) Asylum (1972) The Vault of Horror (1973) And Now the Screaming Starts! (1973) From Beyond the Grave (1974) Madhouse (1974) The Beast Must Die (1974) The Land That Time Forgot (1974) At the Earth's Core (1976) The People That Time Forgot (1977)
See also	The City of the Dead (1960) The Birthday Party (1968) The Uncanny (1977) Dominique (1979) The Monster Club (1981)

Films by Amicus Productions

It's Trad, Dad! (1962)
Just for Fun (1963)
Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965)
Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965)
The Skull (1965)
The Psychopath (1966)
Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1966)
The Deadly Bees (1967)
The Terrornauts (1967)
They Came from Beyond Space (1967)
Torture Garden (1967)
Danger Route (1967)
A Touch of Love (1969)
Scream and Scream Again (1970)
The Mind of Mr. Soames (1970)
The House That Dripped Blood (1971)
I, Monster (1971)
Tales from the Crypt (1972)
What Became of Jack and Jill? (1972)
Asylum (1972)
The Vault of Horror (1973)
And Now the Screaming Starts! (1973)
From Beyond the Grave (1974)
Madhouse (1974)
The Beast Must Die (1974)
The Land That Time Forgot (1974)
At the Earth's Core (1976)
The People That Time Forgot (1977)

v t e Works directed by Gordon Flemyng
Films	Solo for Sparrow (1962) Five to One (1963) Just for Fun (1963) Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965) Mystery Island (1966) Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1966) Great Catherine (1968) The Split (1968) The Last Grenade (1970)
Miniseries	Flight into Hell (1985)

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